Advantages and Disadvantages of Mass Selection

Advantages and Disadvantages of Mass Selection
 
Advantages
  • Varieties developed by mass selection have wide adaptability, wide genetic base and stability.
  • Rapid, simple and least expensive of plant-breeding procedures.
  • Retains considerable genetic variability
  • Of use for the improvement of land races.
Disadvantages
  • Variation exists in variety developed by mass selection. Phenotype of these varieties is not as uniform as pure line varieties.
  • To test the homozygosity of plants progeny test is always required, as without progeny testing selected types will show segregation in next generation.
  • Less improvement as compared to pureline selection.
  • Limited use in improvement of self fertilizing crops.
  • Varieties difficult to identify in seed certification programme than purelines.
  • Only effective for characters with high heritability.
  • Only those varieties which show genetic variation can be improved by this method, as it uses variability present in population

Last modified: Sunday, 4 March 2012, 10:35 PM